Pg. 69: John Rickards's "The Darkness Inside"

Today's feature at the Page 69 Test: John Rickards's The Darkness Inside.

About the book, from the author's website:

“It’s your choice,” Williams says. “Nice easy one. You get to decide which is worth more to you - your career, or that girl’s life.”

Seven years ago, Cody Williams was the FBI’s prime suspect in a series of horrific New England abductions.

Seven years ago, Alex Rourke put Cody Williams behind bars.

Now Cody Williams is dying. He wants to set the record straight. And he’ll only talk to Alex…

Former FBI agent Rourke has successfully reinvented himself as a private detective, but he’s still haunted by the Williams case. And facing the monster again will mean squaring up to some demons from the past. For Cody has nothing left to lose - and a big final hand to play.

When it appears that one of Cody’s victims, Holly Tynon, might still be alive but still held hostage, Alex is left to make a terrible choice that, either way, will mean the end of at least one life…

The Darkness Inside is the third and darkest installment in the Rourke series, and was deliberately written to be a suitable launching-point for new readers.

Among the praise for the novel:

"[W]ith THE DARKNESS INSIDE Rickards proves he’s getting better with every book. Just as soon as you think you start to have things figured out, Rickards pulls the rug out from under your feet. THE DARKNESS INSIDE never lets up, continuing to raise the stakes to the very end of the book and Rickards is one author who doesn’t pull punches. I felt as physically and emotionally battered as [the novel’s protagonist, FBI Special Agent Alex] Rourke must have been by the time I finished the last page."
--Sandra Ruttan, Spinetingler Magazine

"The Darkness Inside is a well constructed thriller with a likeably down to earth protagonist caught up in an increasingly dangerous situation."
--Russel McLean, Crime Scene Scotland

"[A] well plotted, fast-paced slice of modern New England gothic."
--Peter Guttridge, Guardian

Rickards shared some of the backstory to the novel at The Rap Sheet.

Visit John Rickards's website, his MySpace page, and his Crime Space page.

The Page 69 Test: The Darkness Inside.

--Marshal Zeringue